Filner also makes legal maneuvers

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO  Four top political consultants joined the nascent movement to recall Mayor Bob Filner on Wednesday, giving the effort instant credibility as another wave of accusations pummeled the beleaguered politician.

Two military veterans who were sexual assault victims while in the service say Filner touched or flirted with them in an inappropriate setting. The alleged interactions happened at an event for military victims of sexual abuse, held last August in San Diego, when Filner was still a congressman.

“To have a predator like him in our organization, that’s preying on women who are already victims, it’s an absolute atrocity,” said Geraldine Tindley, one of the women. “It’s ugly, disrespectful, and demeaning, and a violation of our personal space as women.”

Meanwhile, Filner’s legal team is seeking to move the court proceedings in a sexual harassment lawsuit to Imperial County for a more impartial setting. A deposition of the mayor scheduled for Friday has been delayed.

The daily developments continued to play out Wednesday in the nearly monthlong scandal that has brought national ridicule to San Diego and left the city’s first Democratic mayor in 20 years clinging to his public office amid numerous allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior.

Former Mayor Jerry Sanders, now head of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday rescinded an invitation to Filner to join a business delegation trip to Washington, D.C., in September.

“We simply cannot risk any major distraction that would further impede the region’s business,” Sanders wrote in a letter. He has called for Filner’s resignation.

Filner has rejected calls for his resignation although the effort to forcibly remove him from office took a significant step forward.

The “Recall Bob Filner” campaign begun by land-use consultant Michael Pallamary gained political firepower Wednesday, giving the movement experienced professionals to raise money and coordinate a difficult signature-gathering campaign. They are treasurer April Boling, fundraiser Jean Freelove, political consultant John Hoy and public relations professional Rachel Laing.

“Nobody’s doing it from a partisan perspective,” said Laing, a Democrat. “Everybody’s desire to give the voters a voice on this stems from allegations that the mayor is a sexual predator and that’s not a partisan issue.”

The group needs to collect 101,597 signatures from registered city voters within a 39-day period, with a 30-day extension allowed if some of the signatures originally submitted are deemed invalid. Some experts have said that’s a tall order unless major donors emerge to fund the effort.

Laing said the group is optimistic because of the emotional response evoked by Filner’s alleged actions and the widespread news coverage.

“It’s not something that only people who follow politics supposedly know about,” she said. “Basically all of San Diego knows what’s going on and they want to have a say. So that actually helps a lot.”

Laing said the organization will rely on volunteer and paid signature-gatherers and implement a stringent verification process to ensure the signatures collected are valid.

The team consists of Hoy, a veteran Republican consultant who steered the successful signature drive for San Diego’s pension initiative in 2011; Boling, a Republican accountant who has handled finances for numerous campaigns; Freelove, a fundraiser who has worked on both sides of the political aisle, including for former Mayor Jerry Sanders, a Republican; and Laing, a former U-T reporter and aide to Sanders.